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Development And Validation Of The Pain Resilience And Optimism Scale (Pros), Wonjin Seo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Numerous self-report questionnaires have been used in pain research to explore patients' experiences. However, these questionnaires often employ negatively worded items that can potentially worsen patients' distress. In response to the emergence of positive psychology, this thesis aimed to develop a new questionnaire that adopts a positive and strengths-focused approach, incorporating resilience, to replace the negative items found in existing tools such as the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS). First, the effectiveness of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in measuring resilience following trauma was assessed through a systematic review using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments …

Piloting A Study To Examine Children’S Understandings Of Chronic Pain And Coping, Kristina P. Ferreira

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Many of our understandings of how children conceptualize and cope with chronic pain are drawn from adult accounts or extrapolated from research in adult populations. Accordingly, there is scant knowledge relating to children’s own experiences of chronic pain and coping. This study begins to address this gap by piloting a methodology combining arts-based methods with semi-structured interviews to generate data with children aged 6-13 years. Participants with chronic pain were invited to draw and/or photograph what represents a ‘good pain day’ and ‘a bad pain day’, before engaging in a tailored, semi-structured interview. Results, interpreted using a constructivist lens, contribute …

Chronic Pain Following Musculoskeletal Injuries: Where Do Familial Factors, Depression, And Distress Fit In?, Shirin Modarresi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: Currently, there is a paucity of effective therapeutic options for chronic pain. A better understanding of the factors that can contribute to chronic pain development and maintenance can lead to more informed prevention and management strategies.

Purpose: The driving force for this thesis comes from the biopsychosocial model of pain. The main purpose was to investigate the contribution of various psychosocial factors to chronic pain with the following objectives: 1) to systematically review the literature on the existence of a familial sub-type of complex regional pain syndrome (fCRPS); 2) CRPS can follow injuries such as distal radius fractures (DRFs), …

A Cross- Sectional Study Of Stress Biomarkers And Their Associations With Post-Trauma Complaints, And How Those Associations Are Moderated By Early Life Adversity, Sadia Siraj

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Chronic musculoskeletal pain results in significant personal, economic, and social burden. Early identification and intervention in those people with acute pain that are likely to transition into a state of chronicity can prevent the onset of chronic pain before it emerges and becomes resistant to treatment. This study investigated the potential stress biomarkers associated with acute pain and disability and how those associations are influenced by early life adversities.

Stress level was determined according to the plasma level of stress biomarkers (cortisol, BDNF, TGFB1) and self-report measures of stress following musculoskeletal traumatic events. The magnitude and direction of associations of …

Predicting Response To Medial Branch Blocks: A Clinical Decision Making Tool, Swati Mehta

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Chronic neck pain can lead to long-term disability and socio-economic burden. Several demographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors have been implicated in the development of neck pain disability. These factors may also influence management of neck pain. Optimal treatment often requires targeting interventions based on specific diagnosis. One of the most common cause of neck pain is cervical facet joint injury. Currently, the gold standard for diagnosing facetogenic injury is through the medial branch block (MBB) procedure. Though the procedure is relatively safe, it is still invasive and may result in adverse effects. In Canada, access to this procedure is limited …